How about opening a specific section of the forum for ScoobyNet subscribers only, say £20 per annum.

I would like to see the BBS remain entirely as it is but in the same breath, I would also like to know exactly how many genuine members there really are?

It seems that SDB & Co graft hard on making the BBS what it is and whilst I'm sure they make a living !!!!! Why not formally register and be provided with a special section accessible to a subscriber section of the BBS community?

I'm sure this will have been thought of before but I for one would be willing to formalize my links with the BBS.

I would guess that SDB will be sending me yet another boll%cking for this but I think that it would provide significant benefits to all serious members.

Please remember, its just a suggestion and I don't want to be publicly beaten up for making it - thank you.

Regards Mike@PD

 

Simon can speak for himself, but I know that one of his No.1 aims was to ensure that scoobynet is a free resource to all. Hence the advertising.

So you meanies, put £20 worth of clicking into those banners !!!

 

Mike - could you run the benefits of charging by me again??

Dont quite get it?

Pete

 

Hi Mike

Thanks for the suggestion. In many ways a very good idea, in that it would not take away the free benefits of the board, but would offer an additional service to the paying members.

But..

As Lee so rightly said, it is of paramount importance to me that the BBS stay free to use. This is the reason we spend so much time producing things like the shop and setting up new deals with advertisers like the banners at the bottom of the page. These are all completely additional benefits which are completely optional to everyone.

It *is* essential that these work though, so we rely on the members to consider the shop when purchasing something and to take notice of and click the banners as much as possible as it all goes to keeping the site running.

Just to clarify something..
As things stand at the moment, nobody makes a living out of scoobynet. I feel that this may have to change soon however as it is just too big now to be run as a sideline. But this will only mean additional benefits to everyone who uses it.

All the best and thanks for your support

Regards

Simon

PS. Thank you also for the order of your banner which will go live tonight / tomorrow.

 

Simon

Thanks for that. As you know I am not very conversent with the protocols of the I.T. world etc etc.

Maybe we should all then undertake to click on at least one ad per visit to generate the income you need to maintain this excellent service.

Regards

Mike@PD

 

potential 100k per year, thats the benefit pete
mike,
just who do u consider are the genuine members? how many times do u click on a site, only to find its subscription, and u think, nah...i only wanted to ask a simple question, i aint paying for that.now, people who use this bbs regularly realise it is a fantastic bbs, with genuine people offering all sorts of good( and bad) advice. but it is the people who post that make the bbs, sometimes daft questions( like mine usually) but sometimes important ones.
if a newbie looked at this bbs for the first time, would he pay? he may think its a con or whatever. i know its not, u know its not, but someone unfamiliar may not know.
i have no objection whatsoever to someone earning a living out of this bbs, i think they deserve it to be honest, but could there be another way that wouldnt put off new joiners?

 

Guys

As you can see from the number of posts I don't say much on the bbs. BUT if it hadn't of been free I don't think I'd have a scoob, to big a purchase to go and do it blindly. A free BBS gave me a chance to get registered and get asking friendly people who had the right answers through experience. Time now does not permit for a fuller involvement (Wife,Child and job)as I would like so I for one would be put off if i had to pay 20 squid for the limited but much enjoyed usage I get from the board.

Jason

******** K E E P T H E B B S F R E E **************

 

Mike

Buy yourself a mike_pd@scoobynet.co.uk email address and you will be financing scoobynet.

I won't coz I'm mean

 

SDB,

Maybe we could have a new forum limited to moderators and admin, then we could discuss stuff (possibly even bbs policy and other boring relevant stuff ) and non-moderators won't know about it...

It could be a nice relaxing forum furnished with nice smooth soft icons and so on... a place to chill out after a hard moderating session...

Not sure if anyone's tried such an idea before...

Moray

 

Simon,

Hazarding a guess but I should imagine the BBS leaves you or your company out of pocket, not to mention your time input. I for one feel some guilt that I share little of the time or cost burden of supporting the site.

So how about letting people make an on line VOLUNTARY donation of say £20 (I say on line because I am LAZY DAVE) and because it's voluntary you don't need to invest heavy time tracking membership etc.

Then you could add an extra thingamagig, you know like the scoobie newbie, scoobie regular, that says something like scoobie supporter and in their profile the date you received the cash (so they know roughly when to redonate)

Then the supporters thing may have a snowball / peer pressure effect whereby regulars don't like to be seen as tight ***** and all strive for supporter status

The upside of this is you generate some extra income with minimal admin, but the site remains free.

Even if only 10% donate its about £10,000 in the bag. If 20% donate its about £20,000 which almost covers the cost of hiring someone to do the admin. (I only mentioned that because you did earlier).

Lazy Dave

 

Moray
I second that!
Hmmm, somewhere warm and cosy just for the moderator elite, non of those peasants

 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by MorayMackenzie:
<B>SDB,

Maybe we could have a new forum limited to moderators and admin, then we could discuss stuff (possibly even bbs policy and other boring relevant stuff ) and non-moderators won't know about it...

It could be a nice relaxing forum furnished with nice smooth soft icons and so on... a place to chill out after a hard moderating session...

Not sure if anyone's tried such an idea before...

Moray[/quote]


Hey - great idea, and we could give it a nice new Scooby name to reflect this......*thinks* - I know!! - what about 22b.com......

 

Hi Dave

Very valid points indeed. But, for one I would feel uncomfortable about that, and for 2 it really isn't necessary...

I made a promise when I took scoobynet on that I would make it financially viable so that it would be self supporting. This has happened, through commercial means including the shop and advertising, etc.

The site keeps growing though, and with it the costs and time involved in running it. So it just means that we need to keep developing commercially so it continues to pay for itself.

I honestly do not want the burden or concern to be taken on by the members. It is a responsability that I decided to take on and consider it my job, not that of everyone else.

Having said all that. If we do all that is necessary to employ an additional person, as a by product the site may actually make a small profit, so it is not all hardship and gloom. It's just taking the rough with the smooth.

All the best

Simon

 

Simon,

That's cool. I think at the end of the day most of us just appreciate the time and effort you put into the whole thing and no one wants to see you out of pocket. And those of us that can't commit the time probably feel the next best way we can help is through financial support.

I personally don't think you should ever feel uncomfortable asking for financial support from the members, especially if it's voluntary, but if it's not neccessary thats fine..... and hey, if you start to make a profit maybe you could take it public...

Thx

Dave

 

Dave T S,

Surely it would be 22b.scoobynet.co.uk?
( &lt;-- drawing attention to sarcastic winkey, just to be sure it's spotted this time )

Moray

 

Why dont you just go the whole hog and turn it into another owners club to rival SIDC and have seperate trackdays and scoobynet meets.Just my £0.02

 

you might loooose a load of good peeps if you start charging to use scoobynet!

SIDC membership £20
ScoobyNet membership £20

£40 on scooby extras already !!!
can u hav one without the other???

would the SIDC start a bbs up to pick up the people who drop off from S/Net???
SIDC.co.uk hasn't got a bbs! it soon would have! free as its already got subscription! be a member of SIDC get a password when you join, access to free pix (sorry, Scooby bbs) lol

it's not that i'm tight (just careful with money lol)

not everyone on here is on £30k+ a year and can through money at stuff!


get more sponsorship with banners
more stuff to buy in the shop at competative prices

and keep ScoobyNet free 2 all.

Pleaassssse Simon.
we lov u


Phil

[This message has been edited by salsa-king (edited 09 May 2001).]